Beastly and Fearlessly - Chapter 5
Only Noblemtl
Episode 5
Dongjujeon.
“Dongju, what is this? Myung-i, that guy is taking down Ma Yeong-hu. Hehe, really.”
Nam Woong-dae-ju Gam Cheol-woo opened his mouth with the aforementioned expression.
A brother who has fought together on countless battlefields.
It is also Dammuheun’s agenda along with Cheolyeongdaeju, who is currently away from the East for a while.
“Didn’t you say earlier that you were going to break that guy’s head?”
“Haha. That was meant to be a wake-up call. I actually thought about whether that was really true.”
Why don’t you understand what Gam Dae-ju is saying now?
Myung is a person who cares for him like his own nephew.
“Now that we’re on the subject, I’m asking you this. Are you really planning on having a duel with that guy the Senate is promoting, Damwangsu? Are you aware that the Senate Lord is openly training you separately?”
Damwangsu is a boy who was brought to the Senate several years ago after searching through the Namman tribes in search of the legitimate heir.
A child who is a distant relative of Namcheon Damdong, but it is not even certain where or how he grew up.
To put a kid like that forward as a candidate for Sodongju.
That must be why there is so much resentment against the mixing of blood from the Central Plains.
“I know. From what I’ve seen of you practicing, you seem to be born with some pretty good talent.”
“No, Hyung-nim, no, Dong-ju, aren’t you worried? This isn’t the time to let your guard down just because you won once. I told you that Myeong-i isn’t the type of person who can fight him.”
Dammuhun also knows.
Ma Young-hoo, who we faced earlier, would be second-rate by the standards of the Central Plains.
At that age, that kind of accomplishment would be amazing.
Compared to that, Damwangsu is already a first-class, fully ripened product.
A skill that can be compared to that of any warrior of the same level.
“At that time… … I made a promise with the Elder Lord. When the time comes, I will prove that I am worthy of being a Sodongju.”
“No, then shouldn’t you have called him in separately and given him training? Haven’t you just left him alone no matter what he’s been doing?”
“Namcheon Damdong is one of the eight guardians of the Beast Palace. If he can’t prove himself, he shouldn’t be in the Dongju position. Even if he’s forced into the Dongju position, who would follow him? That’s why we just have to watch.”
“Do you, sister-in-law, or wife, think the same way?”
Dam Mu-Heun looked straight at Gam Dae-Ju and answered.
“What I just said is what she said.”
* * *
Early the next morning.
My only precious son is heading towards death, but his father doesn’t even look at me.
Instead, a rough-hewn man with a wiry beard covered his face appeared.
Nam Woong-dae-ju Gam Cheol-woo, who said he would break my head yesterday.
I thought I was on the same side as the Senate who didn’t like my position as the Sodongju, but it turns out I’m on the same level as Dongju.
He said he always thought of me as his own nephew.
Then why did you say you would break my head?
“Choose one. You can only take one of these to Myorim.”
A variety of weapons lined up on one side of the training ground.
From giant axes to gon, nanga peaks, daedo and greatswords.
They are all large, perhaps because they are used by large savages.
It means that you can solve everything with just one sword, from eating to sleeping to fighting wild beasts.
Without hesitation, I picked up a knife that was lying in the corner.
Gam Cheol-woo shouted with a look of disbelief.
“Myung, you bastard, do you think going to Myorim is a joke?”
The warriors of Namcheon Damdong, who were watching what I would choose, burst into laughter.
“No, why would Sodongju choose something like that? Do you think it could pierce the hides of the beasts of Myorim? Haha.”
“Leave it alone. I wonder if he’ll catch a rabbit or something.”
It doesn’t matter if you laugh.
The best weapon is the one you are familiar with.
I looked down at the sword in my hand as I heard laughter erupting from all directions.
A sword similar in size to the one he used when he was an assassin in his previous life.
Ah. It is small… … .
What was a perfect size for me then now looks like a dagger.
* * *
Myorim.
A forest so dense with trees that you can’t see more than three feet ahead.
The air is chilly even outside.
It is only half a day’s drive from Namcheon Damdong, but no one usually comes here.
Neither father nor mother came out.
Instead, Nam Woong-dae-ju came out to see them off with several warriors.
What was surprising was that the elder monk who was plotting to push me out was waiting for me at the entrance to the forest.
“This is where the souls of the previous comrades are buried. You must absolutely not commit any disrespectful acts.”
“Okay.”
“The period is one week. Don’t think about just surviving for a few days at the edge of the forest and then coming out. If you want to prove that you are the leader of Namcheon Damdong, you will have to face a beast of a certain caliber. To do that, you will have to go into the middle of the forest.”
He says with his mouth to bring me a wild beast, but his eyes say something else.
The kind of look that makes you want to be caught and eaten.
“Don’t push yourself too hard and go too deep. You never know what might come out.”
Nam Woong-dae-ju asked in a worried tone.
He has a grim face covered with a wiry beard, but you can still sense his concern.
“Okay, I understand. Then I’ll be off.”
Still, Deoksam guided me to the entrance of Myorim, saying he was a servant.
A loyal guy.
It’s a shame that I keep blurting out thoughtless words.
“Then, Lord Sodong, I will wait. Please come back alive.”
“Do you really need to wait here… … .”
“What are you talking about? I have to wait in the east.”
Yeah, yeah.
I can suffer alone, so why do you have to suffer too?
“You’ll probably have to go in for a while before you find a useful beast. Don’t just eat strange grasses because you’re hungry, and check the ground carefully for poisonous snakes. Oh, and are there any poisonous insects?”
At this point, I can’t help but wish that a beast would show itself to me.
“Oh, right. I forgot something. I forgot that you were eating those colorful mushrooms and making a fool of yourself.”
“Shut up. You’re not stupid, you’ve lost your memory.”
Our Deoksam is unstoppable today too.
I’m glad I met a generous owner.
“Yes, yes, in any case, you must not go north of the forest. Even you, the Lord, are not allowed to go there.”
“Why? What’s there?”
“I heard that there is a grave of someone other than the previous lords, but I don’t know for sure. There is also a rumor that there is a tiger as big as a house there. That’s why I heard that most wild beasts don’t even set foot there.”
In the forest where the Dongju of Paldong are buried for generations, there is another person’s grave.
I suddenly feel curious, but I have no intention of looking into it.
If you are told not to go, it is best not to go.
“Then I’ll be off.”
* * *
The forests of Namman are dangerous.
I could tell within a day of coming in.
Sharp blades of grass spread out here and there like daggers.
The pungent smell that settled everywhere was definitely the result of rotting animal carcasses.
Plus, there are unidentified poisonous snakes that might stick their fangs into your ankles at any moment.
Even a single bug passing by seems dangerous.
After walking inside for a while, a wide open space appeared that seemed to have been touched by human hands.
Small mounds here and there.
In contrast to the hot weather in Namman, a cool breeze was lingering.
Ah, so this is where the previous leaders of Namcheon Damdong are buried.
Giant swords placed instead of tombstones.
It was already so rusty that it looked like it would crumble if you touched it.
But somehow, I feel like the world’s most precious sword, sharp as a blade, is pointed at me.
They were once great warriors who commanded the vast lands of the South.
Although their names are not written on them, they would be proud to be buried here.
It is like returning to the land that you protected as a handful of dirt.
It hasn’t even been a week since I started my new life in Namman, but I’m still a Sodongju of Namcheon Damdong.
Their blood flows through my body.
I stood before them with my eyes closed quietly.
“Let me introduce myself to you for the first time. I will live without shame, so please watch over me.”
Was it my destiny to gain a new life?
Could it be that he was born here in Nanman, not in the Central Plains, that there is a meaning to it?
What path should I take now?
What are those great warriors buried in the cold soil thinking when they see me now?
Standing before the graves of great warriors, I have mixed feelings.
I stood in front of them for a long time.
As if he was hoping for some recognition.
“Phew… … .”
I turned around, trying to sort out my dizzy thoughts.
Now is the time to do what needs to be done.
It’s no big deal to just stay here for a week.
If you are an assassin who has set out to kill, it is common for you to endure for several days without eating or sleeping.
The problem is that we have to catch one beast.
But I was a special agent of Salmak… … .
For the assassin, following is a basic skill.
It was always a routine to find a target by looking at the way the soil was dug, the direction in which tree branches were broken, and the marks of grass being trampled.
The problem is that they are beasts, not humans… … .
Anyway, all we have to do is find traces of a suitable beast.
And then just approach him silently and cut his throat with this knife.
But Deoksam was right when he said that you would have to go deep into the forest to meet a wild beast.
I’ve been wandering around the outskirts of the forest for three days now, but I haven’t found anything suitable.
Fortunately, there were frogs and lizards everywhere, so there was no need to worry about food.
I need to look into it a little more.
It was getting darker and darker like night.
If things continue like this, there will only be pitch-black darkness further inside.
Still, there’s nothing I can do.
If you come back empty-handed a week later, everyone will laugh at you.
I have to catch at least one wolf and go back… … .
Rustle.
The sound of fallen leaves.
For a moment, I lowered my body and raised my spirits.
I saw two red eyes in the dark forest.
Then came the sound of heavy breathing.
wild boar…….
Luckily, they didn’t find me.
After a while, a huge wild boar appeared, prowling.
Judging by the huge fangs dripping with saliva, it is a male.
It appears to weigh at least a hundred guan.
Wouldn’t it be okay to call something that size a beast?
If that big boar, which is as big as a house, were to threaten someone who is not a beast, I would pull out its fangs.
He quietly grabbed the sword, or rather the dagger, in his hand.
I hid my energy and waited quietly.
A shadowy body that hides itself in the shadows.
This is a stealth technique performed by me, a special agent of Salmak.
There’s no way a wild boar would notice.
When I finally entered the stone chamber.
Pabat.
This wonderful body is not only strong.
I got on the boar’s back with just one step.
If you don’t target a vital spot, a wild boar will become even more furious.
A skilled hunter can kill it with a single strike between the head and collarbone with a long spear.
I too was a skilled hunter.
Although they hunted people, not boars.
Kweeeeek.
The knife in my hand struck the vital spot.
The front legs gave way first, and then it fell down with a thud.
The first thing that caught my eye was his thick neck.
All I’ve eaten in the past few days is a snake and a few frogs.
I had a strong desire to immediately cut a bunch of them up and grill them, but I held back.
This guy is my proof and trophy that I survived the forest.
Now we just have to carry this guy back out of the forest and stay there for a few more days.
A time when you just need patience to not be roasted.
“Ugh.”
It is a huge wild boar that can be seen over a hundred kilometers away.
I was thinking that if it was too heavy I might have to cut my hair.
“Haa. I’m eating this… … .”
This magnificent body could easily lift a wild boar the size of a house.
The moment I was about to return outside with it on my shoulders.
I had no choice but to stop.
thud.
I put down the loot I was carrying on the ground.
I looked around, taking hold of the small sword in my hand again.
“Phew… … This is going to be difficult.”
Guys surrounding me from all sides.
There must be at least a hundred of them.
In the darkness, countless eyes were glaring at me like a swarm of fireflies.
White fangs revealed under hazy eyes as if intoxicated by drugs.
He was drooling because he was so hungry.
Deoksam-ah… … .
There was no mention of a pack of mad wolves.